hi everyone,jeff shore's new translation on chan master boshan's instructions on huatou/koan chan practice recently came out. see here:https://www.amazon.com/Great-Doubt-Prac ... reat+doubtthis little book is a gem. boshan offers antidote to many "diseases" to practice. part one is the translation. part two has jeff's insightful commentary. i'm sure this book will be treasured by chan or zen practitioners everywhere. get yourself a copy!be well,guo gu

Founder and teacher of Tallahassee Chan Center of the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan Buddhismhttp://www.tallahasseechan.org/Received inka from Master Sheng Yen (1930-2009) in 1995

Thanks for the recommendation Guo Gu and Caodemarte. I plan to order it as soon as possible.

BTW, you recommended me Jeff Shore when I asked about good teachers in eastern Europe somewhere in the beginning of this year. Recently I went to one of his retreats and I must say that he is great teacher.

"There is no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end" - James Hutton

I've never read any of his material (and haven't seen the recently brought-out translation), but the mention of his name associated with a new book impelled me to look for anything featuring him on YouTube.

I found a short video there in which he is introducing zazen to a group of participants assembled for a retreat in the Netherlands (about 6 minutes video).

There he uses a very slow, clear, and loud English, which reminds me of the BBC's "Special English" which was regularly used (spoken) in short-wave radio broadcasts beamed to places where English is not a first language. I suppose his slow way of speaking was for the participants' sake, whose first language is probably Dutch (yet, who are likely fluent in English besides).

But I suppose such delivery sets a tone and a pace, and helps the participants to slow down and concentrate on the instructions for and descriptions of zazen being given.

Thus, he seems in the videos to be a compassionate and clear teacher in his public-presenting and teaching to the group (I have a sense too that he may possibly be mimicking his own teacher, wittingly or unwittingly).

Yes, Jeff was speaking to non-native English speakers. A "normal" speed for native speakers can be heard in the recordings of his retreat talks on his web site (https://beingwithoutself.org/dharma-tal ... files-mp3/). You can read the transcripts of other talks and articles there at your own speed!

I plan on going to the January 3 -8 retreat with Jeff in Philadelphia and his public talk at the Philadelphia Buddhist Association on the evening of January 8. If anybody else here is going let me know!